Project Spotlight:
Harmony and Unity
Artist: Carl Joe Williams
Completion Date: 2021
Location: Gentilly Resilience District, New Orleans, LA
Materials: Painted aluminum, steel, cast aluminum
Services Provided: Fabrication + Transport + Installation
Two Visions, One Mission: Resilience Through Art
When the Arts Council New Orleans commissioned work for the Gentilly Resilience District, they sought pieces that could speak to a community's relationship with water, environment, and renewal. Carl Joe Williams delivered with Harmony and Unity, two complementary works that transform complex themes of environmental resilience into vibrant, accessible public sculptures.
These pieces serve as artistic statements and community anchors in a neighborhood where resilience is lived experience. On August 29, 2005, the London Avenue Canal's floodwalls failed catastrophically during Hurricane Katrina, flooding Gentilly and taking the lives of residents in what the American Society of Civil Engineers later deemed "the worst engineering catastrophe in U.S. History." The breaches occurred not because the storm was too powerful, but because of preventable engineering flaws. The floodwalls collapsed at water levels well below their design capacity, devastating a thriving middle-class neighborhood built along the historic Gentilly Ridge.
Created in collaboration with the Young Artist Movement, both works weave together Williams' signature blend of color, pattern, and social consciousness with the voices and creative energy of emerging artists, ensuring that renewal includes new generations.
Harmony
Installed at the NORA rain garden, Harmony presents environmental resilience through the familiar language of quilting patterns, reimagined in painted aluminum at monumental scale. These double-sided 8' x 2' totems feature alternating images and patterns that celebrate water's natural flow while acknowledging the plastic waste that disrupts it.
The piece functions as both celebration and warning. Vibrant geometric patterns draw viewers in, while embedded objects and imagery reveal the complex relationship between human activity and natural systems. By grounding these environmental themes in quilt tradition, Williams connects contemporary ecological concerns to generations of craft wisdom and community storytelling.
Unity
Positioned at the London Avenue Canal levee breach site, Unity carries profound meaning. At 16' x 8', this monumental steel framework filled with circular aluminum elements commands attention as architecture for gathering, a backdrop for community interaction, and a visual celebration of diversity within coherence. At a location defined by catastrophic failure and loss, Unity stands as testament to the community's capacity to rebuild and move forward together.
The modular circular elements suggest tambourines, manhole covers, wheels—forms that roll, resonate, and rotate through New Orleans culture and infrastructure. Together, they create a dynamic composition that changes as viewers move around the piece, embodying the fluid, adaptive spirit of the Gentilly community.
Our Role
Carl Joe came to us with ambitious visions requiring technical precision and deep understanding of how public art functions in community spaces. The challenge lay in translating artistic vision into works that could withstand both weather and time while maintaining their visual impact and cultural resonance.
Scope of Work:
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Community Collaboration Support: Worked closely with Williams and the Young Artist Movement to integrate student-created elements seamlessly into professional fabrication standards.
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Material Engineering: Developed painted aluminum and cast aluminum solutions that could achieve Williams' vibrant color palette while meeting outdoor durability requirements.
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Structural Design: Built the substantial steel framework for Unity to support multiple aluminum elements while ensuring long-term stability.
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Precision Fabrication: Executed the intricate geometric patterns and double-sided design elements that make Harmony visually compelling from every angle.
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Installation Coordination: Managed on-site installation to ensure both pieces integrated seamlessly into the Gentilly streetscape.
The Cultural Context
The Gentilly Resilience District represents a comprehensive approach to neighborhood revitalization, addressing flood risk, land subsidence, energy reliability, and community building simultaneously. Williams' pieces embody this effort, turning abstract concepts of resilience into tangible, beautiful forms that residents encounter daily.
Williams, a New Orleans native whose work explores themes of social justice, unity, and human spirit, brought deep local understanding to this commission. His multimedia practice—spanning painting, sculpture, installation, and interdisciplinary work—juxtaposes reality with abstraction, creating pieces that provoke thought while inspiring dialogue.
What Carl Had to Say
"Denali feels like a one-stop shop for anything you need."
Dan and the Denali team have been my go-to for sculpture projects for years. What sets them apart is how personable and accommodating they are–they feel like a one-stop shop for anything you need.
For Harmony and Unity, they helped me explore aluminum casting with students and teach them how to work three-dimensionally.
The finished work is always perfect.
Carl Joe Williams, Visual Artist